


Space Oddity

by ditl_manchester



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Astronaut!Dan, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Strangers to Lovers, ground control!Phil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:20:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24957514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ditl_manchester/pseuds/ditl_manchester
Summary: Dan has dreamed of going into space his entire life. When he finally does, there's a Ground Control agent that he just can't get out of his head, literally.
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Comments: 18
Kudos: 39





	Space Oddity

“This is Major Howell to Ground Control. Do you copy? Over.” 

“Roger that, Major Howell. This is Ground Control. We hear you loud and clear. L-minus ten minutes. Over.”

Dan took a breath. And then another. 

Today would be the first day of the rest of his life. The switches were flipped, the tests were run. There was no going back. 

His headset was silent and all he could hear was static. Dan looked around the cockpit. His copilot was still checking some of his devices and appeared to be talking on a different channel.

Dan rested his head against the seat and closed his eyes.

By the end of the day, he would either be happily floating in space and waiting to chat with some Russians, or he would be dead.

“Hey, Ground Control?”

“Yes, Major Howell? Is something wrong? The systems look fine from down here. Over.”

“No. Nothing’s wrong. I just figured since I have a one in thirty-four chance of not making it through the rest of the day, I’d like to know the name of who’s going to make sure I’m one of the thirty-threes.”

There was a pause on the line. Static once again filled the space. 

The sky was a brilliant blue. Not a single cloud in sight. He could almost see some stars if he looked hard enough.

Then the static dissipated.

“My name is Phil. Over.”

Five minutes until liftoff. Almost time to start flipping some more switches.

“Is it too late to ask for a bathroom break, Phil? I think I’m going to miss earth bathrooms.”

Dan heard a laugh go through the line.

“That’s the biggest reason why I could never be an astronaut. L-minus four minutes. Over.”

Almost go time. His entire life had lead up to this exact moment. 

Watching and rewatching the Apollo missions until the VHS tapes were worn out.

Posters of astronauts and their biographies scattered all over his childhood bedroom.

Getting into the perfect university. 

Studying astrophysics until he had bags under his eyes and a master’s degree in hand.

Finally working at NASA.

And now, sitting in this cockpit. Waiting.

“Commencing countdown. T-minus three minutes. I’m opening the line. I’ll see you on the other side, Major Howell. Over.”

“Roger that, Phil. Over.”

Dan knew the next steps by heart. Time raced past as he checked off permits, heaters, and engines.

And then, before he knew it, he was launching into space.

At first, his body felt so heavy. Every movement took all of his focus and effort.

But then, he became weightless. 

“Major Howell? Are you with us? Report status. Over.”

“We’re all good up here, Phil.” Dan looked out the windshield. The overwhelming expanse of black. The pinpricks of light. He couldn’t see the earth yet, but he imagined it was breathtaking. “You’ve got to do this sometime. It’s indescribable. Over.”

“Roger that. I’ll take your word for it. Just wait until you see Earth, Major Howell. I’m opening the line. Over.”

“Alright. Commencing docking sequence. Over.”

They said it would take three days to dock. Three more days until he can finally live his dream. 

It had been a handful of weeks.

Time loses meaning while you’re on a satellite. Sunrise every 45 minutes. Long days. Sleeping when you’re tired, only more or less on a schedule.

Despite how long it had been, life aboard the ISS hadn’t lost its novelty.

Weightlessness had been a whole thing. 

Of course, Dan had done excess amounts of training underwater and in the air. But nothing quite compared to being able to float effortlessly no matter what you were doing.

But the best part of Dan’s new life was the view.

He spent hours in the observation deck. Just looking.

He’ll never forget the first time he went in there. It was right after they docked and boarded. The other crew members insisted they each take a moment and look at it alone. 

Dan still had Phil in his ear. The agency insisted on having a sort of earthly assistant with the astronauts most of the time. To keep them grounded, so to speak.

The moment he walked into the deck, he audibly gasped. The raspy speaker buzzed to life in his ear.

“Major Howell? Would you like a moment alone? Over.”

“God no, Phil. I want you here. It’s just… I’m just…”

“Speechless?” Phil offered.

“Exactly. I wish you were here, Phil. I wish you could see what I see.”

A moment of silence passed between them.

“Tell me what it looks like.”

Dan swiped at the wetness that was beginning to form in his eye. 

“I-I don’t know where to begin. It’s like… It’s like everything you’ve ever imagined. I know I’m looking at seven billion people right now, but it feels like I’m alone with an old friend. I feel like I’ve known the earth like this my whole life, even though I’ve only just met her.”

“That sounds amazing, Major Howell.”

“It really is. I never realized how blue the ocean is. How green the forests are. And god, the clouds. Phil, never underestimate the clouds. They’re just so breathtaking.”

“Duly noted Major Howell.”

Below, lights began flickering on as the sun set on the western horizon. Thousands of lives were on show. It all just seemed so… human.

“Hey, Phil?”

“Yes?”

“You can just call me Dan.”

“Alright, Dan. Enjoy your time in there. I’ll talk to you again when you’re out.”

“Roger that. See you on the other side.”

“Hey, Phil?”

“Yes, Dan?”

He had three more weeks left. Half a year had gone by in the blink of an eye. His days had been filled with experiments, exercise, and explaining his new life to the people of Earth. Every day, he went to bed exhausted. Usually, he would chat with Phil until he became tired and fell asleep, but tonight felt different. He had just had a breakthrough in the thesis he was supporting, and his adrenaline was being especially adamant about staying. 

“Tell me something about you. You seem to know everything about me, but I feel like I don’t know a thing about you.”

“What are you talking about? You know more about me than most of my friends do. Like that time when I told you about how I used to eat fish food because I thought it was what astronauts ate?”

“You really were such a weird kid. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I mean, I don’t even know what you look like.”

“You have a computer in front of you, right?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

“Log onto the NASA website and then find your mission tab.”

Dan clicked around on his laptop until he found it. A picture of a large group headed the page.

“Are you in this picture?”

“Yeah. Top row, three people in from the left.”

Dan scanned the picture until he came across a young man with black hair and thick-rimmed glasses. 

“Shit Phil, you never told me that you’re hot! I bet you’re getting all the ladies down in Mission Control.”

Phil sputtered and then laughed. “Not exactly. The ladies don’t really interest me if you get what I’m saying. Besides, my heart is somewhere else…” He paused, thinking carefully about his next words, “...much, much farther away.”

Static filled the space between them. 

Dan kept staring at the picture of Phil, the man whose voice had filled his thoughts and heart for the past six months. 

In all of his dreams, he never thought he would look quite so… perfect.

“What’s he like? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Well, um, I haven’t met him in real life yet, but we talk every day. He’s brilliant, charming. There’s no way someone couldn’t fall in love with him.”

“He sounds like you. Except you’re also talented, amazing, and calm under pressure. Not to mention, also one of the most unique people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.” 

Was that too much? Dan knew there was a line there that shouldn’t be crossed. Couldn’t be crossed. 

But Phil was more than a coworker now. He was his best friend, his tether to keep his feet on the ground when everything’s floating away. And Dan can’t see life without him.

“When I get back down there, when I finally meet you, I want to meet him too. Make sure he’s up to the task. You’re a handful, Phil Lester. I should know, I’ve lived with you in my head for the past five months.”

“Sounds like a plan. Now you just need to get back to Earth, safe and in one piece.”

“Of course.” Dan yawned. “I’ll let you go for the night, Ground Control. Drive safe.”

“Goodnight Major Howell. Over and out.”

Dan was in a tin can, launching himself at the earth at 5 miles a second. He was a meteor, crashing down to Earth.

His time was up, and about 3 hours earlier he had said his goodbyes. He would see them again one day, a different time, a different place. 

But for now, he was moving faster than he thought was humanly possible. 

There was a part of him that wanted to appreciate this for the world’s greatest roller coaster it was, but the other part of him was on a mission. To get back home.

It would take a while, he was landing in Russia somewhere. They would check him over, make sure he was healthy, and then after a long flight, he would be on his way to see fulfill his promise.

It was strange not having Phil there. It’s much harder to send a signal to a fast-burning pile of rock than it was in any of his other adventures. 

He launched the parachutes and braced himself for impact. Any second, he would officially be a citizen of Earth again.

And there it was. Impact.

The sun, blinding him as he was dragged out of his seat. Grass poking his ribs. He couldn’t help but laugh. 

It was a beautiful day on Earth, and he was here to enjoy it.

He was back at Houston. Nothing, not even the launch, compared to how nervous he felt.

Today was the day he would finally meet Phil. Phil and the apparent love of his life.

After Dan arrived back in the states, the first thing he did was text him and see when he was available.

The unforgiving Texan sun beat down on him. He wiped his palms against his jeans. His heart threatened to burst out of his chest. He checked his watch. They should be here any minute now. 

The main door of the Johnson Space Center opened. And there he was. Just Phil. In real life.

He looked a little lost and it took a second before Dan remembered he was the one who was supposed to be picking him up.

Dan put his adrenaline to good use and jogged over to Phil. 

The minute he saw him, Phil’s eyes lit up and he began running too, causing them to meet in the middle of the road.

Phil reached up and gingerly touched Dan’s cheek. His smile was brighter than a thousand suns.

“I can’t believe you’re real,” Phil whispered, “It feels like it was all a dream.”

Dan laughed and placed his hand over Phil’s on his face.

“As real as I can be. I’m not sure it’s not a dream yet though. Someone needs to pinch us so we can find out,” Dan said.

“How about this instead?”

The next thing Dan knew, Phil’s lips were pressed firmly against his.

And the world stopped spinning.

It was liftoff and impact all at once.

The two of them facing the world. Again.

And then Dan remembered, Phil was already in love with another man. He had told him so, not so long ago. 

Dan abruptly stepped back, ending the kiss, leaving Phil standing alone and confused.

“Did I do something wrong?” Phil asked. “I didn’t mean to- I thought-”

“Aren’t you already with someone?” Dan interrupted. “You were telling me about them. Last month, remember? I really like you, Phil. Like really, really like. And I don’t want to mess up or get in between something that important for you.”

Phil made an oh shape with his mouth.

“It’s you, Dan. You’re the person I was talking about. You’re the one I spend all my time with. You’re the voice in my head, my man on the moon. You really are my best friend and I can’t imagine life without you by my side ever again.”

That’s not the answer Dan expected. It was him? “Really?”

“Yes, really. Now get back over here and kiss me. We’ve got a lot of time to make up for.”

“Agreed.”

Maybe it wasn’t liftoff or impact with all the people and fame that mattered. 

Maybe it was the quiet moments. Like learning to float. Like standing on a space deck and describing the world. Or like standing in a blazing hot parking lot in Houston, kissing the love of your life, and making up for lost time and space.

**Author's Note:**

> like/reblog on tumblr [@heckdnp](https://heckdnp.tumblr.com/post/622144321357004800/space-oddity) :)
> 
> Title from Space Oddity by David Bowie


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